The U.S. State Department confirmed on April 22 that it has suspended its operations at the U.S. Embassy in Sudan.
According to a release by the department, this was a response to the deteriorating security situation in Sudan. The statement was made by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was concerned for the safety of American citizens in Sudan. He also reaffirmed that the U.S. is committed to assisting them.
“@StateDept has suspended operations at @USEmbassyKRT and evacuated all U.S. personnel and their dependents. We continue to assist Americans in planning for their own safety. We will also continue to press to expand the ceasefire to prevent further damage to the Sudanese nation," said Blinken on Twitter.
The State Department also stated that it will help Americans in Sudan by helping them plan to get to safety and provide updates on the situation in their areas. The U.S. government also urged citizens in Sudan to be cautious and to avoid unnecessary travel until the security situation is better.
According to another release by the State Department, there is a nationwide ceasefire that has been announced for Sudan. There were two days of intense negotiations and following this the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces agreed to uphold the ceasefire. This started at midnight and lasted for 72 hours. The U.S. also urged all parties to fully comply with the ceasefire, and vowed to work with regional and international partners, along with Sudanese civilian stakeholders. This is to create a committee that would oversee negotiations and implement a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements in Sudan.
The State Department gave the following warning in the release: “Armed conflict, crime, such as kidnapping, armed robbery, home invasion, and carjacking occur. Members of known terrorist groups and individuals sympathetic to these groups in Sudan could attack with little or no warning, targeting foreign and local government facilities, and areas frequented by Westerners.”
